


Spoils

by rynling



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Epic Gift Giving, Evil Uncle Ganondorf, Gen, Gerudo Culture, Ocarina of Time Prequel, Speculative Backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-23 03:22:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10711125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rynling/pseuds/rynling
Summary: Ganondorf returns to Gerudo Fortress bearing gifts from Hyrule, but Nabooru sees the darkness underneath his glamour.





	Spoils

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Krocodile_lord](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krocodile_lord/gifts).



> The ideas that inspired this fic came from [krokodilov](http://krokodilov.tumblr.com/), whose insight into the Zelda games never ceases to amaze me.
> 
> All of the Gerudo children share the names of characters from Breath of the Wild, which I referenced from [an-angry-linguist's post on Tumblr](http://an-angry-linguist.tumblr.com/post/158480149376/an-observed-and-obviously-incomplete-grammar-of).

Ganondorf unknotted the scarf covering his face and shoulders and tossed it onto the sleeping platform in the corner of the room. The quilts covering it were new, as were the tapestries hanging down over the rough stone of the walls, but the familiar smell of this place had not changed. He had been gone for some time, and it was good to be home.

A faint dry scraping caught his attention, and the fabric of a tapestry covering the far wall rustled slightly. A slow smile spread across Ganondorf's face.

"Any thieves in this chamber take heed," he said. "If you show yourselves now, I will be merciful, but if I must expose you myself I will be forced to tickle you... _to death_."

There were a few giggles in response, but they were quickly muffled. Ganondorf stomped his foot and roared, and a group of squealing girls burst out from behind the tapestry. He moved quickly to block the door, and almost instantly he was tackled by six small bodies. These girls, daughters of his closest cousins, were still young, but even at this age they had undergone martial training, and it made Ganondorf proud that in their assault they actually managed to hurt him a little. Exaggerating the extent of his pain, he broke through them and staggered into the center of the room before collapsing on the rich carpet.

"Did you bring us any presents?" asked Malena, the youngest of the girls.

"Presents?" Ganondorf heaved a deep sigh and shook his head. "I forgot all about your presents."

"Then why is your satchel so heavy?" asked Isha, the second youngest, holding it aloft.

Ganondorf was impressed that she had managed to take it from him; he hadn't even noticed its weight missing from his back. "Good girl," he said, flashing a grin at her. "That's an excellent question. Why don't you bring that over here so we can get to the bottom of this mystery?"

Isha passed the satchel to her sister Sumati, who pitched it to him. It must have been uncomfortably heavy for her, but her aim was true, and Ganondorf caught it easily. Sumati would make a fine archer one day, but now she was just showing off. He liked her style.

Ganondorf crossed his legs and set the satchel down on the carpet in front of him. He made theatrical hand motions over it, and under his breath he said the words that released the magic binding its front flap closed. His mothers didn't want him using magic in front of the children – the last thing anyone needed were kids running around with magic – but once the seal dissolved he tacked on an extra spell that sent bright sparks flaring from the bag. The younger girls gasped, and the two older ones, Emri and Pyra, looked at it curiously. They had already begun their spell lessons, then. He wondered if either of them had shown any talent and reminded himself to ask after them later.

"Let's see what we have here." Ganondorf removed a small book bound with beautiful golden stitching. He met the eyes of Nali, a shy and quiet girl who had been standing on the edge of the group. "For my darling Nali, I brought you the newest illustrated herbal guide, straight from Hyrule Castle Market. I hear from your mother that you're doing well in your studies. She says you're on track to become the youngest potion master your teacher has ever seen."

Nali blushed and looked away as she took the codex, but her eyes were sparkling. "Thank you, Lord Ganondorf," she said softly.

"For my darling Sumati," he continued, "I brought you a slingshot. It's Kokiri-made and unmatched in power and accuracy."

Sumati accepted the elaborately carved fork of wood and turned it in her hands as she assessed it.

"And of course it wouldn't be complete without ammunition," Ganondorf added, tossing a small sack of Deku seeds to Sumati. "Thank you, Lord Ganondorf," she said, grinning.

"For my darling Pyra and my darling Emri, I have brought you the latest fashion from the castle." He removed two black lacquer boxes from his satchel and handed them to the girls, who opened them to reveal matching sets of jeweled combs. Their eyes gleamed with pleasure. "I was told you've both reached the age when you've begun asking to grow out your hair. May it stay thick and never tangle."

"I could use some of those myself," a voice broke in. Ganondorf looked up to see his cousin Ashai standing in the doorway. She had black smears of ink on the sides of her palms and had probably come directly from her post as a scribe.

"The books you requested are in my saddlebags," he said, acknowledging her presence with a nod. "I managed to find what Kalisa wanted as well."

"Oh, you _didn't_." She rolled her eyes, having more than likely guessed – correctly – the sort of titillating reading material that her wife had demanded that he bring back for her. "Don't mention that in front of the kids."

"Mention what?" asked her daughter Isha.

Ganondorf cleared his throat. "And to my darling Isha, I brought you a wonder. Ashai tells me that you've been darting along the rooftops like a little dragonfly." He withdrew a pair of thin canvas flats and clapped them together, making a dull smacking sound. "The soles of these shoes are fashioned out of rubber, a substance devised by the Zora. Even though you step on stone, it will be as soft as sand. They're a little big, but you'll grow into them." He passed the shoes to her and then took out of small parchment packet. "And these are the seeds that produce the rubber tree," he said, giving it to Nali. "The soil and water requirements are written inside the folds. Maybe you can figure out how to grow them."

"Cousin! It's good to see you back," another voice called out from beside Ashai. It was Furosa, Sumati's mother, who was accompanied by her apprentice Olu. "We asked for a bath to be prepared for you. And thank the Goddess we did, you smell disgusting."

Ganondorf grunted in response. To the children he might be "Lord Ganondorf," but few of the women he grew up with ever bothered with his title. The room was starting to become crowded, and before long even more people would appear. This was nothing like Hyrule Castle, where the corridors were so quiet that every footfall rang out like a drumbeat. Although such stillness was strange to him, it made him feel larger somehow, as if...

"Ah, look who decided to show up," said his cousin Shaillu as she crossed her arms around Furosa's shoulders. She was a full head taller than her sister and had to duck slightly to pass through the doorway. "Such gall you have, showing your face here after not answering any of my letters."

"And last but not least," Ganondorf said, raising his voice to cut her off, "to my darling Malena, the youngest of us all. I got the news that your mother has been preparing the ceremony for your first knife." He handed her a small yet finely crafted sheath with the stylized head and mane of a horse etched into the leather and lined with gold paint. "The honor of that gift is not mine to give, but I can present you with this, a sheath fit for a princess."

"Thank you, Lord Ganondorf," Malena said as she accepted it. "But what's a 'princess'?"

"Mmmm..." Ganondorf considered her question. "There is but one hereditary ruler of Hyrule, and this is their king. The king's daughters are called 'princesses,' and they are considered to be the most lovely and graceful girls in all the land."

Ganondorf's face shone with a radiant smile. "And you are all my princesses, you charming and brilliant girls."

He suddenly found himself at the center of a warm pile of affection as the six girls jumped on him, laughing as they hugged him.

"Ganondorf."

At the sound of his name Ganondorf's back straightened. He raised his chin and squared his shoulders. This was the voice of Nabooru, his lieutenant, his rival, and the closest thing to a friend he ever had as the Gerudo's own "king." The girls fell silent, and the women backed away from the door to allow her into the room.

Her face was stern, and her eyes were as cold and sharp as flint.

"We need to talk," she said. "Now."

*

"I can't believe you wore that ridiculous outfit in front of the Hylian court," Nabooru muttered as she pulled the collar of Ganondorf's robe straight before smoothing down its shoulders.

"You should see what they wear," he grumbled, turning away from her to tighten the sash at his waist. It was made from the same cotton he'd worn under his ornamental cuirass and pauldrons, which was thin and could breathe in the humid Hyrulean climate, unlike the scratchy wool hose and jerkins favored by the men who lurked about the castle. The Gerudo traded their metalwork for bolts of the precious fabric, which was woven by the Rito far to the northwest. After the war, the Hylians no longer maintained relations with the Rito, their pride apparently greater than their sense of self-preservation. _How magnificent it must be to have such a high estimation of one's own power_ , Ganondorf thought, flapping the loose linen of his sleeves. The robe had gone unworn for months, and it smelled strongly of the sandalwood box in which it had been stored.

"Those were nice gifts you brought for the children," Nabooru remarked.

Ganondorf gave a noncommittal shrug. He knew exactly where this was heading.

"It's interesting that your arrival here corresponds with an attack on a caravan bound for Lake Hylia."

"That is interesting."

"The survivors apparently reported that they were set upon by a lone rider as large and fierce as a demon."

"Perhaps they were."

"You _killed_ people, Ganondorf."

"They were trespassing on our territory."

"Obviously, but it goes without saying that this isn't a reason to attack a caravan."

"Words weren't working."

"I wasn't under the impression that you tried to talk with these people before slaughtering them."

"It wasn't them who was supposed to get the message. You know as well as I do that the Hylians have been expanding their settlements onto our land. Every fence they build separates us from our livelihood, and all the while their monarch turns a blind eye."

"You are not wrong, Ganondorf, but be reasonable. You've read more about that kingdom than anyone I know. If anyone can find a way to resolve this situation, it's you."

"I constructed fortresses from documents and treaties, Nabooru, and I spun my words into gold, but the Hylians are an uncivilized people. All they understand is force – brute force, and superstition. Rumors of demons on the steppes is preferable to the armed defense of our borders."

"Rumors of demons, you say? Do I need to remind you that we Gerudo are already considered little more than bandits and thieves?"

"I need no such reminder. How convenient it would have been if I could have bought gifts from the markets in Castle Town, if only anyone would sell to me at a fair price. What was I to do, tell those sweet children that I was shunned and ignored?"

Ganondorf glared at Nabooru, who looked away.

"Your saddlebags have been unpacked," she murmured. "Their contents were delivered to your receiving chamber. I saw that you did manage to find gifts for the children. Unless you got that candy for me?"

Ganondorf's face relaxed. "For you I brought rubies, a gift from one of the Goron ambassadors to the palace, given freely and in good faith. I had a Zora metalworker set the stones into gold earrings. They're terribly gaudy, I must say, and just your style."

"You're one to talk." Nabooru grinned as she turned away to pour water into the samovar. Ganondorf knew that this conversation was far from over, but perhaps it could rest for the night.

"And try not to fill the children's heads with nonsense about princesses," Nabooru continued as she shook out tea leaves from a copper canister that glowed in the light of the braziers. "If you're not careful, they'll start to indulge in the same sort of frivolous fantasies you used to be prone to."

"Speaking of which, I saw quite a bit of Hyrule's new princess," Ganondorf remarked as he lowered himself to the floor and reclined against the cushions arranged around a low table. "I think you would like her. She's young but headstrong. She has the agility of a fox, and she rides as if she were born with four legs herself. The girl might make a formidable queen one day. If her father allows it, that is. He keeps her wrapped in a cocoon of silk and velvet so that she can't extend her wings."

"Her training has begun early." Nabooru knelt and placed a steaming cup of tea in front of Ganondorf before sitting down beside him. "She must learn how to act as a proper Hylian woman. You see why you are so useful to us, then?"

"I'd always assumed it was because of my skill at diplomacy."

Nabooru clicked her tongue and shook her head as she poured herself a cup of tea.

"Has there been any word from my mothers?" Ganondorf asked her.

"I'm sure they'll be here shortly. When you rode in they were praying at the Spirit Temple. They've both been in a difficult state of mind recently, and they've been going there a lot. They say that the winds of a great change have begun to blow, but no one has been able to figure out what they mean." Nabooru took a sip of tea and sighed. "You know how they are."

 _The winds of a great change have begun to blow_. The words resonated in Ganondorf's mind. He had felt this wind too; it had been blowing at his back ever since he first set out for Hyrule. As much as he hated the kingdom and its barbaric customs, there was something about it that called to him. He loved his home, but when he returned he saw it as an outsider. It seemed to cower in the shadow of the mountains, and it shamed him to look down on it as he made his way through the mountain pass. Before the war, his people had been respected and admired, yet now he was forced to bow his head to a foreign king. How would the Hylians feel to have their earth scorched, their land vanishing into the sky as a dark cloud of ash?

Ganondorf set his cup down and got to his feet. Nabooru looked up at him, surprised by his sudden movement.

"The children must be in bed by now. I'm going to wash off the stink of that castle," he said as he turned to leave. "When my mothers arrive, tell them to find me. We have much to discuss."


End file.
